Metamucil and Colace making things worse?

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Metamucil and Colace making things worse?

Postby Luka » 05 Feb 2016, 10:20

I've been taking Metamucil once a day in the morning and Colace twice a day to help my harder stools in the morning and looser stools after that. Now it seems like I'm really constipated and experiencing hard pellet-like stools that hurt and are hard to push out first thing in the morning. : ( I've been drinking TONS and TONS of water, so that's not the issue. Could the Metamucil be making me worse? Anyone had this issue?

My period is also coming and I can tell I'm retaining water. Could that also be an issue?

I just want something to bulk up the stools and make them softer, but apparently this isn't working for me. : ( I eat a high-fiber diet anyway, so maybe I should just quit both. The CRS I saw was a major jerk anyway and I won't ever be going back to him, so I'm not sure why I followed his advice anyway.

I'm just so frustrated right now. : ( This alternating hard stool/loose stool in the morning is driving me crazy and I don't know what to do anymore. Has anyone else had this issue? It's clearly IBS with me; I've been so upset over all this and it's just making things worse.

I just want normal stools so I can heal this fissure. Maybe all this is just a result of having the fissure in the first place and I should focus more on healing it and less on diet and supplements. Ugh... I'm at a loss.

Thanks for listening.
January 2013 - Diagnosed with fissure. Eventually turned chronic.
History of IBS and anxiety disorder, along with fear of using bathrooms other than my own caused it.
Tried Diltiazem, but eventually developed a rash.
LIS surgery scheduled August 26th.
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Re: Metamucil and Colace making things worse?

Postby Savaici » 05 Feb 2016, 13:45

Colace did not work for me. I use Metamucil biscuits (cookies),one a day.
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Re: Metamucil and Colace making things worse?

Postby Luka » 05 Feb 2016, 13:50

Thanks, Savaici. Apparently the Colace is not really working for me, either. : ( It seems like it was in the beginning, but now it's done nothing. I will probably just have to quit it.

I'm also taking the Metamucil wafers, but apparently they aren't working for me either or even making my issue worse despite all the water I drink. I NEVER get constipation this bad and it seems to have all gotten worse since starting the Metamucil. My digestive system is just completely messed up right now.

Do you take Miralax or magnesium supplements? I am strongly considering trying Miralax at this point.
January 2013 - Diagnosed with fissure. Eventually turned chronic.
History of IBS and anxiety disorder, along with fear of using bathrooms other than my own caused it.
Tried Diltiazem, but eventually developed a rash.
LIS surgery scheduled August 26th.
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Re: Metamucil and Colace making things worse?

Postby felix » 05 Feb 2016, 15:39

I am having the same issue with trying to manage keeping poo soft. I never got constipation before the fissure and have noticed that it got better when the fissure healed only to come back when I have been having issues.
I reckon mirakax is worth a go, I have considered using a really small dose, seeing how it goes and working from there.
Are you in a lot of pain still?
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Re: Metamucil and Colace making things worse?

Postby Luka » 06 Feb 2016, 12:55

felix - I am the same way. I never really got constipation issues before until all this fissure crud started 3 years ago. My muscle gets so tight, which makes everything worse and makes it difficult to go sometimes, especially when it's flaring up (like right now, sadly).

Yes, I still have pain, although it comes and goes. Some days are worse than others. Some days I'll be throbbing down there and/or stinging or burning there most of the day, even if I have a good bowel movement. Sometimes when I have what I think are bad bowel movements, it doesn't hurt as much. Go figure! I just don't get it. It's certainly a rollercoaster, ugh.

I'm going to stop the Metamucil for a while and see how I do. My period is coming up next week, which certainly isn't helping things. : (
January 2013 - Diagnosed with fissure. Eventually turned chronic.
History of IBS and anxiety disorder, along with fear of using bathrooms other than my own caused it.
Tried Diltiazem, but eventually developed a rash.
LIS surgery scheduled August 26th.
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Re: Metamucil and Colace making things worse?

Postby chachacha » 06 Feb 2016, 13:15

In my case, my theory about stool consistency is this. My fissure was somewhat "protected" by my internal hemmies, so the hard stool would push out and cause less pain than the soft stool (or diarrhea!), because it would allow that soft stool to seep into the wound and stay there, causing all of my grief! I would be in terrible pain for at least 5 hours, followed by another 5-10 hours of medium pain, when the fissure eventually dealt with (got rid of) the stool that had seeped in.
Fissure since about 2007
Fissure diagnosed in 2011
Diltiazem for two years - didn't work well
LIS January, 2015
Hemorrhoidectomy December, 2017
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Re: Metamucil and Colace making things worse?

Postby felix » 06 Feb 2016, 14:04

That soundst Really similar to me Luka. I had a run of no pain and now have stinging and burning for no reason..I was told I have healed but don't believe it..periods really don't help and I find that just having my period causes all kinds of issues on that general department!
Are you considering surgery? I am too scared personally and my CRS won't do it because I don't have an active fissure.. Is yours still there? Sorry so many questions!!
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Re: Metamucil and Colace making things worse?

Postby Johnny91 » 08 Feb 2016, 10:24

Lucky me i have no periods... Guys i have exactly the same experience with osmotics as you.
I tried lactulose and macrogols which both made it a lot worse for me pain-wise.
Had to stop in less than 1 week due to hard bulky stools.
I have no idea why they won't work.
I also never had constipation problems, i'd visit 1-3 times daily.
The only thing that seems to work for me is mineral oil for about a week. Its the only that trully softens the stools and allows for the fissure to heal at the point it won't hurt significantly on the next defecation.
Unfortunately, its not the best thing to consume in the long run.
Try drinking around 40-50ml when you are on pain and limit the fiber amount (for me it works with no fiber at all as well but try to include small amounts of fruits).

If you drink too much you will end up having it run out on its own or while passing gas but it lubricates the area for the first stool which will pass and really helps.

Give it a try, it is the only thing that helps me and its the cheapest i've tried.
Make sure to try it before your period and keep using it for 1-2 weeks... I'm on the fourth day today and i'm almost back to painfree.
Good Luck

*
I've heard of another type of stool softener on the market but i didnt get one yet. If its working i will let you know soon. A friend of mine who tried it out said that it makes the stools run like the soft icecream machines.
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Re: Metamucil and Colace making things worse?

Postby Luka » 10 Feb 2016, 13:40

Sorry for the late reply, guys. Been struggling the past few days and my period has made everything worse. : (

chachacha - I don't have any hemmies that I know of, but it is strange how different types of bowel movements cause worse pain than others, even if those bm's seem almost perfect. I'll have days where I have perfect (or near-perfect) stool and have lots of pain, where others days I have harder stool or diarrhea and less pain. It's really weird. My fissure is internal, so I guess it depends on how the stool irritates it on the way out.

felix - Yes, I am considering surgery, although I do not have the funds for it currently. My regular medical insurance will not cover the CRS I've been seeing (they only cover general surgeons, which I do NOT want doing butt surgery on me), so I have to pay out-of-pocket for everything. : ( I am just trying to get by with diet for now. So far, I haven't had much luck. Really hoping something changes soon for the better or I will have to figure out how to pay for the surgery. I just want my life back!

Johnny91 - Yes, periods suck. : ( I hate being a woman sometimes because of them. They make the pain so much worse for us. I am already drinking plenty of water, so I don't think I need to increase that more. I'm still trying to figure out the fiber thing. I'm either getting too much or not enough. My largest meal of the day is dinner and I pretty much don't eat anything from breakfast until then. Maybe I should start eating lunch?

I did stop the Metamucil and things have improved a little, although not much. I will continue to take the Colace for a while and see how I do. I will look into the mineral oil. I know a lot of people say it helps them, but shouldn't be taken long term. I don't think you can use it with Colace, either.
January 2013 - Diagnosed with fissure. Eventually turned chronic.
History of IBS and anxiety disorder, along with fear of using bathrooms other than my own caused it.
Tried Diltiazem, but eventually developed a rash.
LIS surgery scheduled August 26th.
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Re: Metamucil and Colace making things worse?

Postby Johnny91 » 10 Feb 2016, 14:23

Hi Luka,
I've tried mineral oil with osmotics both lactulose & macrogols but theres no real difference.
Colace is said to increase absorption of mineral oil in the GI tract which makes it kind of toxic.
Try eating small meals with ballanced fiber through out the day, this way you make your colon keep moving and you will be more frequent. Also i'm pretty sure it helps stools stay more hydrated on their way out.

The actual position and damage of the fissure is different for each person though, so pain will a different experience for each of us.
My fissure is internal as well, and deep enough that i cannot reach it while applying ointments. I usually feel pain early on, before the stool reaches fresh air (around the red arrow).Mineral oil helped me a lot getting passed this point with close to no pain. I even overdosed in purpose, in order to get it to start leak out before the stool to lubricate the canal.
Also avoid diuretic food. I've found that too much cucumbers, broccoli or even coffee make me loose too much precious fluids.
Regarding the fiber, keep in mind that insoluble fiber forms bulky stools which lead to larger contraction of the canal, thus more pain and ripping probability. Soluble fiber on the other hand melts into gel form and binds everything together to create a less bulky stool but flexible and kind of soft.
If you manage to balance it, based on your specific gender/weight ratio you will most likely have a great time. This needs a lot of experimenting though, took me months of failure to figure it out.

Try getting some mineral oil in your hands, quit all the others and use it for a week or so. Eat small portions of food every 3-4 hours and don't overdo it with fiber.
Mineral oil will help you because it binds all together and softens them so much that you have a creamy slimy flat
stool that passes out easily due to that your canal doesn't stretch as it would with too much bulky fibrous stool.

If you find that this regime helps you i could write you a list of helpful food to try.
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